Last week the Search Committee concluded its work and presented a list of five candidates for the Eighth Bishop of Northern Indiana to the Standing Committee. On behalf of the Standing Committee, I am grateful to co-chairs Fr. Mike Dwyer and Mrs. Linda Buskirk and to all members of the Search Committee who labored tirelessly in this ministry. Their thorough, faithful, and prayerful discernment and diligence over the last six months has richly blessed us to reach this stage in our process.

With great prayer we present to you the five candidates for the Eighth Bishop of Northern Indiana:

Please look for their initial biographies on the search website. Fuller biographies will be released in the coming days.

Even as we celebrate the conclusion of the Search Committee’s work the ministry of the Transition Committee now begins in earnest. Under the leadership of the Fr. Jim Warnock of Gethsemane, Marion, they will be guiding the diocese through the introduction of our candidates as well as the election and transition process of our new bishop.

The candidates will come to the diocese for the Walk-Abouts on January 15-17. The locations for getting to know our candidates are:

January 16th – Session 1 – St. John of the Cross, Bristol
January 16th – Session 2 – St. Timothy’s, Griffith
January 17th – Gethsemane, Marion

Please look for the publication of the Walk-About informational booklet very soon.

Everyone is welcome to attend these sessions. We expect delegates who will vote for our new bishop to attend a session near them to better acquaint themselves with our candidates. Please remember that if your parish is expecting to certify new delegates other than those who were registered at last month’s Diocesan Convention their names must be registered with the diocesan office by February 1, 2016.

Thank you for your continued prayers as we labor together for our beloved diocese and for the kingdom of God in our midst.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

The Rev. Matthew D. Cowden, President of the Standing Committee
&
The Search Committee for the Eighth Bishop of Northern Indiana

The following letter just arrived from the Diocesan Standing Committee:

September 10, 2015
Dear Beloved Friends in Christ,

Thank you for your prayers during this time for search and discernment of our next bishop. Thank you for your input and feedback which has helped the Search Committee to develop our diocesan profile. Thank you to those of you who have submitted nominations to the Search Committee. And thank you to Dr. Craig Pawlowski for the creation of this entertaining, informative and multigenerational Activity Book describing our search process.

The following is an update on the Timeline, Transition Committee and Election process in our bishop search.

Timeline

The general timeline for our search will be found on our bishop search website. There is a lot going on in between those dates listed there. Between the close of nominations on September 18 and the announcement of the final slate of candidates announced on November 15, the Search Committee will be meeting nominees for a discernment retreat in October. Co-Chairs Fr Mike Dwyer and Linda Buskirk are leading a prayerful and confidential process. Their work on the Search Committee will be complete after they submit the final slate of candidates to the Standing Committee in November.

Transition Committee

The Standing Committee commissioned the Transition Committee at the end of August. While their work has already begun they officially take over the process of our search after the slate of candidates has been announced. They oversee the shepherding of our candidates (and their spouse/partner) up to and through the Walk-Abouts in January; the election process in February; the transition of bringing our new bishop into the diocese; and the ordination of our new bishop on June 26, 2016.

Under the leadership of Fr. Jim Warnock, the following are the members of the Transition Committee:

This committee will be spearheading the various subcommittees that will carry us through the transition months. Each subcommittee will need many hearts and hands to carry out the work ahead. Please be generous in offering your time and talents as you are called upon. You are welcome to contact Fr. Jim Warnock for questions about the Transition Committee.

Election of the Eighth Bishop of Northern Indiana

At our Diocesan Convention, October 24, 2015, Bishop Little will call for a Special Convention for the Election of a Bishop to be held February 6, 2016. Electors to our October, 2015 Diocesan Convention will automatically be the electors at the Special Convention February 6, 2016 (including the possibility of registered alternates filling in) UNLESS notice of new delegates for 2016 are certified with the Secretary of Convention by February 1. In the latter case, those newly elected delegates who serve at the Special Convention in February and will also serve as elected delegates at our 2016 October convention. Parishes and potential delegate/electors should take into consideration the January Walk-Abouts to meet the candidates in preparation for the election. Please continue to look for email and website communications about the dates and times for meeting our candidates in January.

Lastly, please do not hesitate to contact the co-chairs of the Search Committee, Fr Mike Dwyer and Linda Buskirk, or the chair of the Transition Committee, Fr Jim Warnock, or me, Fr Matthew Cowden, should you have any questions or concerns, nominations or prayerful discernment about the search for our eighth bishop. We look forward to welcoming our next bishop whom God is preparing for us, and praying with her or him about the next chapter of our life together in Northern Indiana.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

The Rev. Matthew Cowden+
President
The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Northern Indiana

If you’ve ever envied the kids going off to Diocesan Summer Camp, or even if you haven’t, please join us for a day with our diocesan family. We gather at 10:00 AM and worship at 11:00 AM EDT. Bishop Little will be preaching.